and that -- and that means i know what it means to send young americans into battle. for i've held in my arms mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. i've shared the pain of families who have lost their homes and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. if the critics are right that i've made all my decisions based on polls, then i must not be very good at reading them. and while i'm very proud of what we've achieved together, i'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what lincoln

meant when he said "i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go." but as i stand here tonight, i have never been more hopeful about america. not because i think i have all the answers, not because i'm naive about the magnitude of our challenges. i'm hopeful because of you. the young woman i met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter, she gives me hope. the auto worker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed but kept coming to work every day. and bought flags for his whole town. and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife.

he gives me hope. the family business in walroad, minnesota that didn't lay off a single one of their 4,000 employees when the recession hit even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants. even when it meant the owner gave up some perks and some pay. because they understood that their biggest asset was the community and the workers who had helped build that business. they give me hope. i think about the young sailor i met at walter reed hospital still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. six months ago we would watch him walk into a white house

dinner honoring those who served in iraq. tall and 20 pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, with a big grin on his face, sturdy on his new leg. and i remember how a few months after that i would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day. inspiring other heros who had just begun the hard path he had traveled. he gives me hope. he gives me hope. >> we'll be right back with more of president obama's speech. ng. oscar likes tom's photos, but he loves the access to tom's personal information. oscar's an identity thief who used tom's personal info to buy new teeth and a new car, and stuck tom with the $57,000 bill. [tires squeal] now meet carl who works from the coffee shop and uses the free wi-fi. marie works from there too.

she's an identity thief who used a small device to grab his wi-fi signal, then stole enough personal information to hijack and drain his bank accounts. every year, millions of americans learn all it may take to devastate your life is a little personal information in the wrong hands. this is identity theft and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock offers the most comprehensive identity theft protection, period. ordinary credit monitoring services may take 30 days to alert you. lifelock's 24/7 proactive protection would have alerted tom as soon as they noticed an attack within their network, before it was too late. and lifelock's bank account takeover alerts could have notified carl in time to help him protect his money. lifelock protects your social security number, money, credit, even the equity in your home. while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one protects you better than lifelock, and lifelock stands behind that with the power of their $1 million service guarantee.

you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and try 60 days of identity theft protection risk-free. 60 days risk-free. use promo code: be secure order now and get this document shredder, a $29 value free. [♪...] call or go online now. [♪...]

president obama kept his promises. he promised to end the war in iraq. and he has. and our heroes have come home. he promised to end the war in afghanistan responsibly. and he is. and our heroes are coming home. he promised to focus like a laser on al qaeda. and he has. and our forces have eliminated

more of its leadership in the last three years than in all the eight years that came before. and after more than ten years without justice for thousands of americans murdered on 9/11, after mitt romney said it would be naive to go into pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took president obama, against the advice of many, to give that order and finally rid is earth of osama bin laden. [ cheers and applause ] ask osama bin laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago. >> senator john kerry on stage tonight. now back to president obama's

speech. >> i don't know what party these men and women belong to. i don't know if they'll vote for me. but i know their spirit defines us. they remind me in the words of scripture that ours is a future filled with hope. and if you share that faith with me, if you share that hope with me, i ask you tonight for your vote. if you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election. if you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election. if you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape, that new energy can

power our future, that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers, if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules, then i need you to vote this november. [ cheers and applause ] america, i never said this journey would be easy, and i won't promise that now. yes, our path is harder. but it leads to a better place. yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. we pull each other up. we draw strength from our victories. and we learn from our mistakes. but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon knowing that providence is with us and

that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth. thank you. god bless you. and god bless these united states. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we take care of our own

♪ we take care of our own ♪ wherever this flag's flown ♪ we take care of our own ♪ we take care of our own ♪ we take care of our own ♪ wherever this flag's flown ♪ we take care of our own ♪ we take care of our own ♪ we take care of our own ♪ wherever this flag's flown ♪ we take care of our own ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ sun coming up over new york city ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] did you know the average person smiles

more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him.

you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now.

for as long as i've known him, joe has never given up, never failed to see the

possibilities, and never had any doubt about who he's fighting for. and as long as he has the privilege of serving this nation, i know from the bottom of my heart that he will continue to fight for you every day. >> vice president joe biden's wife, dr. jill biden. the vice president took the stage tonight, setting the stage for president obama. let's take a look at some of his speech. >> tonight what i really want to do is tell you about my friend barack obama. no one could tell it as well or as eloquently as michelle, as you did last night, michelle, on monday night. but i know him, to state the obvious, from a different perspective. i know him. and i want to show you. i want to show you the character of a leader who had what it took

when the american people literally stood on the brink of a new depression. a leader who has what it takes to lead us over the next four years to a future as great as our people. i want to take you inside the white house. to see the president as i see him every day. because i don't see him in sound bites. i walk 30 paces down the hall into the oval office and i see him. i watch him in action. four years ago, the middle class was already losing ground. and then the bottom fell out. the financial crisis hit like a sledgehammer. on all the people i grew up with. you remember the headlines. you saw some of them in the previews. highlight.

highest job losses in 60 years. headlines. economy on the brink. markets plummet worldwide. from the very moment president obama sat behind the desk, resolute in the oval office, he knew. he knew he had not only to restore the confidence of a nation, but he had to restore the confidence of the whole world. and he also knew -- he also knew that one, one false move could bring a run on the banks or a credit collapse to put another several million people out of work. america and the world needed a strong president with a steady hand and with the judgment and vision to see us through. day after day, night after night, i sat beside him as he

made one gutsy decision after the other to stop the slide and reverse it. i watched him. i watched him stand up. i watched him stand up to intense pressure and stare down enormous, enormous challenges, the consequences of which were awesome. but most of all, i got to see firsthand what drove this man. his profound concern for the average american. he knew. he knew that no matter how tough the decisions he had to make were in that oval office, he knew that families all over america sitting at their kitchen tables were literally making decisions for their family that were equally as consequential.

you know, barack and i, we've been through a lot together these four years. and we learned about one another. a lot about one another. and one of the things i learned about barack is the enormity of his heart. and i think he learned about me, the depth of my loyalty to him. and there's another thing. another thing that has bound us together these past four years. we had a pretty good idea what all those families, all you americans in trouble, were going through. in part because our own families had gone through similar struggles. barack as a young man had to sit at the end of his mother's

hospital bed and watch her fight with her insurance company at the very same time she was fighting for her life. when i was a young kid in third grade, i remember my dad coming up the stairs in my grandpop's house where we were living, sitting at the end of my bed and saying, "joey, i'm going to have to leave for a while. go down to wilmington, delaware, with uncle frank. there are good jobs down there, honey. in a little while, a little while, i'll be able to send for you and mom and jimmy and val. and everything's going to be fine." for the rest of our life, my sister and my brothers, for the rest of our life, my dad never failed to remind us that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. it's about -- [ applause ] it's about your dignity. it's about respect. it's about your place in the community.

it's about being able to look your child in the eye and say, honey, it's going to be okay. and mean it. and know it's true. when barack and i -- when barack and i were growing up, there was an implicit understanding in america that if you took responsibility you'd get a fair shot at a better life. and the values, the values behind that bargain, were the values that shaped both us. and many, many of you. and today those same values are barack's guiding star. folks, i've watched him. he has never wavered. he never, never backs down. he always steps up, and he

always asks in every one of those critical meetings the same fundamental question. how is this going to affect the average american? how is this going to affect people's lives? that's what's inside this man. that's what makes him tick. that's who he is. and folks, because of the decisions he has made and the incredible strength of the american people, america has turned the corner. the worst job loss since the great depression. we've since created 4.5 million private sector jobs in the past 29 months. as i mentioned at the outset, four years ago we were hit hard. you saw, you saw your retirement accounts drain, the equity in

your homes vanish, jobs lost around the line. but what did you do as americans? what you've always done. you didn't lose faith. you fought back. you didn't give up. you got up. you're the ones. the american people. you're the ones. you're the reason why we are still better positioned than any country in the world to lead the 21st century. you never quit on america and you deserve a president who will never quit on you! [ cheers and applause ] >> my fellow americans we now -- we now find ourselves at the hinge of history. and the direction we turn is not figuratively, it's literally in your hands.

it has been a truly great honor to serve you and to serve with barack, who has always stood up with you for the past four years. i've seen him tested. i know his strength, his command, his faith. and i also know the incredible confidence he has in all of you. i know this man. yes, the work of recovery is not yet complete, but we are on our way. the journey of hope is not yet finished, but we are on our way. and the cause of change is not fully accomplished, but we are on our way. so i say to you tonight, with absolute confidence, america's best days are ahead. and yes, we are on our way! and in light, in light of that horizon, for the values that define us, for the ideals that

inspire us, there is only one choice. that choice is to move forward, boldly forward, and finish the job and re-elect president barack obama! god bless you all, and may god protect our troops. god bless you. thank you. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> we'll be right back. ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism.

>> announcer: meet tom, a proud dad whose online friends all "like" the photos he's posting. oscar likes tom's photos, but he loves the access to tom's personal information. oscar's an identity thief who used tom's personal info to buy new teeth and a new car, and stuck tom with the $57,000 bill. [tires squeal] now meet carl who works from the coffee shop and uses the free wi-fi. marie works from there too. she's an identity thief who used a small device to grab his wi-fi signal, then stole enough personal information to hijack and drain his bank accounts. every year, millions of americans learn all it may take to devastate your life is a little personal information in the wrong hands. this is identity theft and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock offers the most

comprehensive identity theft protection, period. ordinary credit monitoring services may take 30 days to alert you. lifelock's 24/7 proactive protection would have alerted tom as soon as they noticed an attack within their network, before it was too late. and lifelock's bank account takeover alerts could have notified carl in time to help him protect his money. lifelock protects your social security number, money, credit, even the equity in your home. while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one protects you better than lifelock, and lifelock stands behind that with the power of their $1 million service guarantee. you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and try 60 days of identity theft protection risk-free. 60 days risk-free. use promo code: be secure order now and get this document shredder, a $29 value free. [♪...] call or go online now.

[♪...] much more ahead from here in charlotte, north carolina. stay with cnn. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco.

mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs g of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover.

try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis.

the president is a servant

of today, but his true constituency is the future. >> america is a future that each generation must enlarge. >> because this election is not about ideology. it's about confidence. >> i still believe in a place called hope. >> and i stand here tonight as my own man. and i want you to know me for who i truly am. >> i'm john kerry, and i'm reporting for duty. >> america, we cannot turn back. not with so much work to be done. >> this is cnn. welcome from charlotte, north carolina on the final day of the democratic national convention. now, earlier tonight president obama officially accepted the nomination for a second term. and for the next 90 minutes we're going to bring you his speech in its entirety. here's how it began, as the president took the stage to tell the delegates and the american people his vision for the future.

♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ the more you see the less you know ♪ ♪ the less you find out as you go ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you.

thank you. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. [ crowd chanting "four more years" ] thank you so much. thank you. thank you very much, everybody. thank you. michelle, i love you so much. a few nights ago everybody was reminded just what a lucky man i am.

malia and sasha, we are so proud of you. and yes, you do have to go to school in the morning. and joe biden, thank you for being the very best vice president i could have ever hoped for and being a strong and loyal friend. madam chairwoman, delegates, i accept your nomination for president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ]

now, the first time i addressed this convention in 2004, i was a younger man. a senate candidate from illinois who spoke about hope. not blind on the miz many, not wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty. that dogged faith in the future that has pushed this nation forward even when the odds are great, even when the road is long. eight years later, that hope has been tested.

by the cost of war, by one of the worst economic crises in history. and by political gridlock that's left us wondering whether it's still even possible to tackle the challenges of our time. i know campaigns can seem small, even silly sometimes. trivial things become big distractions. serious issues become sound bytes. the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. and if you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am i. but when all is said and done, when you pick up that ballot to vote, you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation.

over the next few years big decisions will be made in washington on jobs, the economy, taxes and deficits, energy, education, war and peace. decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and on our children's lives for decades to come. and on every issue the choice you face won't just be between two candidates or two parties. it will be a choice between two different paths for america. a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. the values my grandfather

defended as a soldier in patton's army, the values that drove my grandmother to work on an assembly line while he was gone. they knew they were part of something larger. a nation that triumphed over fascism and depression. a nation where the most innovative businesses turned out the world's best products and everyone shared in that pride from the corner office to the factory floor. >> my grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their own home, and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of america's story. the promise that hard work will pay off, that responsibility will be rewarded, that everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules, from main street to wall street to washington, d.c. and i ran for president because i saw that basic bargain slipping away.

i began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas. and by 2008 we had seen nearly a decade in which families struggled with costs that kept rising but paychecks that didn't. folks racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition, put gas in the car or food on the table. and when the house of cards collapsed in the great recession, millions of innocent americans lost their jobs, their homes, their life savings. a tragedy from which we're still fighting to recover. now, our friends down in tampa at the republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with america. but they didn't have much to say about how they would make it right. they want your vote, but they

don't want you to know their plan. and that's because all they have to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last 30 years. have a surplus? try a tax cut. deficit too high? try another. feel a cold coming on? take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations and call us in the morning. [ cheers and applause ] now, i've cut taxes for those who need it. middle-class families, small businesses. but i don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores or pay down our deficit.

i don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of china. after all we've been through, i don't believe that rolling back regulations on wall street will help the small businesswoman expand or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. we have been there. and we're not going back. we are moving forward, america. [ cheers and applause ] now, i won't pretend the path i'm offering is quick or easy. i never have. you didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. you elected me to tell you the truth. and the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to

solve challenges that have built up over decades. it will require common effort and shared responsibility and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that franklin roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. and by the way, those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from washington. but know this, america. our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. and i'm asking you to choose that future. i'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country. goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation.

that's what we can do in the next four years, and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> we'll be right back with more president obama's speech. can curlers! tomato basil, potato with bacon... we've got a lot of empty cans. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses,

i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now.

[ crowd chant iing ining "gabby] [ applause ] i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands. one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [ cheers and applause ]

[ cheers and applause ] former congresswoman gabby giffords saying the pledge of allegiance to open the final session of the democratic national convention here in charlotte. now more of the president's speech.

>> we can choose a future where we export more products and outsource fewer jobs. after a decade that was defined by what we bought and borrowed, we're getting back to basics and doing what america has always done best. we are making things again. i've met workers in detroit and toledo who feared they would never build another american car, and today they can't build them fast enough because we reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on the top of the world. i've worked with business leaders who are bringing jobs back to america. not because our workers make less pay, but because we make better products.

because we work harder and smarter than anyone else. i sign trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of new customers. goods that are stamped with three proud words, "made in america." [ cheers and applause ] braktd [ crowd chanting "usa" ] and after a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last 2 1/2 years. and now you have a choice. we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here in the united states of america. we can help big factories and

small businesses double their exports. and if we choose this path we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. you can make that happen. you can choose that future. you can choose the path where we control more of our own energy. after 30 years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. we have doubled our use of renewable energy, and thousands of americans have jobs today building wind turbines and long-lasting batteries. in the last year alone we cut oil imports by 1 million barrels a day, more than any administration in recent history. and today the united states of america is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades.

so now you have a choice. between a strategy that reverses this progress or one that builds on it. we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. but unlike my opponent, i will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan or endanger our coastlines or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers. we're offering a better path. we're offering a better path where we -- a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal. where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks. where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy.

where we develop 100 years' supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. if you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone. and yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet, because climate change is not a hoax. more droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. they are a threat to our children's future, and in this election, you can do something about it. [ cheers and applause ] you can chose a future where more americans have the chance

to gain the skills they need to compete. no matter how old they are or how much money they have. education was the gateway to opportunity for me. it was the gateway for michelle. it was the gateway for most of you. and now more than ever it is the gateway to a middle-class life. for the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. millions of students are paying less for college today, because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders. and now you have a choice. we can gut education or we can decide that in the united states of america no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school, no family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don't have

the money, no company should have to look for workers overseas because they couldn't find any with the right skills here at home. that's not our future. that is not our future. a government has a role in this, but teachers must inspire. principals must lead. parents must instill a thirst for learning. and students, you've got to do the work. and together i promise you we can outeducate and outcompete any nation on earth. so help me, help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers within ten years and improve early childhood education. help give 2 million workers the

chance to learn skills at their community college that will lead directly to a job. help us work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth of tuition costs over the next ten years. we can meet that goal together. you can choose that future for america. [ cheers and applause ] that's our future. you know, in a world of new threats and new challenges you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. four years ago i promised to end the war in iraq. we did. i promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and we have. we've blunted the taliban's momentum in afghanistan, and in 2014 our longest war will be over. a new tower rises above the new york skyline.

al qaeda is on the path to defeat, and osama bin laden is dead. [ cheers and applause ] and tonight, we pay tribute to the americans who still serve in harm's way. we are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. we will never forget you. and so long as i'm commander in chief we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. when you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over theirds